Troubleshooting Wi-Fi Signals

• 1). Make sure everything is connected the way it should be. Cable or DSL lines should go into their modems, and those modems should be connected to wireless routers.
  
  
• 2). Analyze the signal by checking with another computer. Ask a friend who has a PC with working Wi-Fi to come check it out. See if that computer can access the signal. Alternatively, take your computer to a Wi-Fi hotspot and check to see if you can connect. If the computer can't find a Wi-Fi Wi-Fi signal anywhere, there are hardware issues.
  
  Hardware issues have a wide range. A new router might send out an 802.11n signal, but the laptop might have a wireless card that can only read a 802.11b signal. Older laptops might not even have wireless capability installed. A $20 PCMCIA card (slot in left side of laptop, about the size of a fat credit card) or $10 USB dongle (like a big flash drive that provides wireless) is the simplest fix in these situations.
  
  
• 3). Log on to the router. If another computer can access your wireless and you can't, or if you can access Wi-Fi elsewhere, the next step is to log in to the "back end" of the router. Connect directly to the router with an Ethernet cable. Navigate to http://192.168.0.1 in any browser. This will take you to a login page. Most routers use admin/admin for the username/password. If that doesn't work, check the bottom of the router or the user manual for more information. If the router was purchased used, reset it by pressing the "reset" button underneath.
  
  Once logged in, find the "wireless security" tab or page to find out if there's a password already set. Set up your own password while you're there. For home use, WPA security is usually sufficient, but choose whatever security protocol you'd like.